In this review of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 #2, the results of last issue’s events are brought into focus on all sides.
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG 2 #2
Writer: BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and Main Cover: CHRISTIAN DUCE
Variant Covers: YASMINE PUTRI, ALAN QUAH, STEPHEN SEGOVIA, LUCAS MEYER, KEVIN MAGUIRE
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 2, 2025
This review contains spoilers
I’ve been skeptical of the “DC vs Godzilla & Kong” crossovers since the announcement of the original Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. The fact that this is explicitly a crossover between specifically the Legendary Studios produced “Monsterverse” and some nondescript, hodgepodge of current DC continuity with elements audiences may remember from expanded media irks me as cynical. For instance, this version of the DC universe has a vast Justice League support network, yet Barry Allen is only just getting married to Iris West, and the Suicide Squad is composed solely of movie-related characters and ex-Legion of Doom members introduced in the last mini. I’m not opposed to intercompany crossovers, and placing the book in a specific time or era of either property provides an interesting creative obstacle, but I’m not convinced that the creative team has actually done anything groundbreaking to solve it.
Issue two opens directly after the shocking twist of last issue, with Amanda Waller having been shot by Col. Leland Shaw. Shaw takes control of the Suicide Squad under threat of detonating their neck-implanted bombs, and directs them to begin “Phase Two”. Meanwhile, on Skull Island, the Justice League try to appease a disturbed Kong, only to be ambushed by a Kong-sized Killer Croc. Kong and Croc do battle, and before the League can end the fight, Kong kills the reptilian-man. Residual radiation bleeds off Croc as his corpse reverts back to his normal size.
Superman, being able to hear Lex Luthor’s heart beat, leads the league to a Monarch VTOL, but is intercepted by the remaining Task Force X. A fight breaks out between both teams. Peacemaker manages to graze Flash’s skull with a bullet, leaving the scarlet speedster unconscious. Superman flies after his escaping foe, as Supergirl tries once again to appease Kong, who has seemingly forgotten their previous encounter. Superman manages to catch up to Lex in the caverns of Hollow earth, but is depowered by the word’s strange energies. Lex and Superman begin a battle, but are halted by the arrival of several titan sized apes.
Brian Buccellato does a good job of keeping the action brisk, albeit somewhat abrupt. The Kaiju Killer Croc comes out of literally nowhere after last issue’s cliffhanger. Most of the characterization remains consistent from the source material of both properties. The Kara-Kong relationship callback is still charming, even if Kong not remembering her is a bit convenient for plot reasons. Batman being so nonchalant of Kong killing one of his often rehabilitate-able foes feels a bit off however. Moreover, I’m curious about how this version of Col. Lee Shaw still fits into the plot. Is this the same Shaw from Monarch, or a DC universe variant? How old is he? His features resemble Kurt Russell, but his hair is more like Wyatt Russell.
Christian Duce’s art work is fine to average for a superhero book. Most of the action consists of close-up and mid-shots. Understandably, Duce has the difficult task of keeping both the average sized superheroes in-scale and on-model with the Titan-sized Kaiju in a way that’s readable, and he’s mostly successful at this. That being said, I feel the awe and scale of kaiju encounters could easily be pushed into a more abstract realm. I hate to compare the book to the similar, ongoing Marvel-Godzilla crossovers, but I feel those books do a better job pushing stylized art in order to emphasize both properties. Not to mention, the Bat-mech that is shown bares a striking similarity to the one seen in Nick Dragotta’s Batman: Black and White story from 2021, but less detailed.
Ultimately, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #2 does its job as a superhero-kaiju crossover. I appreciate the editorial headache that these kinds of projects bring. Buccellato and Duce are able to bring both franchises to life in a mostly believable way, even if they don’t do anything that new or groundbreaking with the material. It’s entertaining without being enlightening. Big without being bold. Mostly, it feels like another Justice League title with a different playset-backdrop, albeit one that’s already been explored before.
